Sales plummet as Dick’s Sporting Goods’ anti-gun policies kick in

Dick’s Sporting Goods’ hunting and electronic departments have been lagging in recent months due to the company’s decision to stop selling AR-15 style rifles as well as any guns or ammunition to customers under 21 years old, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The AR-15 was developed in the 1950s. The letters in the name stand for ArmaLite rifle, not “assault rifle,” as commonly thought.

Dick’s, one of the country’s leading gun sellers, announced in February that it would no longer sell AR-15 style rifles like the one used in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting and it would no longer sell guns and ammunition to people under the age of 21.

The sporting goods retail company is reportedly paying a price for these restrictions, as sales at in-store and online fell 3.9 percent for a three-month period that ended Nov. 3, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Weak gun sales hit the hunting and outdoor equipment, specifically, as fewer hunters are visiting the stores, Lee Belitsky, the company’s chief financial officer, said Wednesday on a conference call with analysts.

“In addition to the strategic decisions we made regarding firearms earlier this year, the broader industry has decelerated and remains weak as evidenced by most recent national background check data,” Belitsky added.

The WSJ report notes that gun sales are also lagging nationwide under President Donald Trump, as gun owners feel comfortable with the fact that they have an ally in the White House, whereas gun sales tend to spike under Democratic leadership, when gun owners anticipate stricter gun control.

While sales may be down, Dick’s reported higher earnings for the quarter, $37.8 million, compared to $37 million in this period in 2017.

Isn’t there another definition for Dicks that’s more appropriate, part of the male physique. I would never go into a Dicky place and be treated as such. Buy on line, let the fingers do the walking and get better deals, many places tax free. I evaluate the store name as an anatomy reference to the ideological mentality. They don’t need business. Die on the vine or change management. Where’s the Board of Directors? The stock is tanking. Lesson?

There are others in the same situation thet I won’t walk thru the doors.

Just as Dick’s has the right to not sell certain items and then lobby so other businesses are forced to do the same, we have the right to shop elsewhere, and that is what our family of six is doing. I have not been inside a Dick’s store since they made their decision, not even to return my Dick’s reward card from when we were a local customer. That’s the free market!